Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Earns U.S. Crown, Over $500 Million Worldwide
Bohemian Rhapsody is the champion, my friends. This week Queen's movie claimed the all-time No. 1 spot for music biopics in the United States, surpassing N.W.A.'s 2015 film Straight Outta Compton by more than $3 million in ticket sales.
Following an impressive run in its first three weeks, Bohemian Rhapsody took the No. 5 spot in theaters this week, earning another $7.9 million and putting its domestic total at $164.3 million. This helped it edge out Straight Outta Compton, which grossed $161 million stateside.
Bohemian Rhapsody had already claimed the No. 1 music biopic spot worldwide, and has now earned more than $500 million across the globe. This easily defeated Straight Outta Compton's $202 million total. The 2005 Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line sits at third, with $186 million.
Along with their success in the theaters, Queen's music has also risen on the charts. Last month the film's title song, originally released on the band's fourth album A Night at the Opera in 1975, rocketed back into the Billboard Top 100 singles chart for the third time — each in different decades.
The film's soundtrack has also given Queen their highest charting position in 38 years, dating back to when The Game spent five weeks at No. 1. The soundtrack, which includes previously unreleased audio from the band's famed 1985 Live Aid performance, quickly rose to No. 3 on the charts, while their Greatest Hits I, II and III: The Platinum Collection also moved into the Top 10.
It's a happy ending for a film that had more than its share of hurdles along the way, including the departure of actor Sacha Baron Cohen and the firing of director Bryan Singer.